Lecture 3

Question 1

Skill vs movement

Answer 1

the ability to bring about some end result with maximum and minimum outlay of energy, or of time and energy

Question 2

how do we define a skill

Answer 2

1. Skills have a desired environmental goal
   - handstand
   - walking after a stroke
   - reaching to touch a button
2. Skills have a performance goal
   - luck does not play a large role
3. Efficiency is required for optimum performance
   - mechanics
   - physiological energy efficiency
   - psychological/mental energy efficiency
4. Time
   - with practice, time is minimized
   - balance between time and accuracy – faster may mean less accurate

Question 3

what are the components of a skill

Answer 3

1. Perception of the relevant information- taking in the important environmental info needed to perform the skill, pick the most relevant regarding the skill
2. Deciding how to achieve the goal (skill outcome)- deciding what to do, when and where to achieve the goal
3. Production of processes to achieve the goal- organization of muscles of body, chooses what the body needs to do
4. Execution-
   a) quality of execution- early learner vs skilled learner
   b) perception- action- taking in visual info and asses and processes info and gain info about environment
   c) muscle activation- how fast, how small, ect the body should move

Question 4

2 classification of skills

Answer 4

1. open skills and closed skills

2. discrete, continuous, and serial skills

Question 5

open skills

Answer 5

a) open skills:
- environment is variable and unpredictable, therefore performer cannot effectively plan entire movement in advance
- with practice of an open skill, we know we can learn to adjust to our environment (football)
ex) drivers education: uncontrolled to more control and learn to predict

Question 6

closed skills

Answer 6

b) closed skills:
-environment is stable and predictable
ex) swimming in an empty lane in a pool, drilled a hole into a black of wood
TABLE 1.1 open and closed skills continuum
predictable environment: gymnastics, archery, typing
semipredictable: walking a tightrope, steering a car, playing chess
unpredictable: playing soccer, wrestling, chasing a rabbit

Question 7

discrete skills

Answer 7

a) discrete skills:
-easily defined beginning and end
-often results in a measured outcome score
-can be cognitive and can be primarily a motor task
Ex) throwing a ball, turning on a light switch

Question 8

continuous skills

Answer 8

b) continuous skills:
- no particular beginning or end, the behavior flows for several minutes
ex) swimming in a pool
- unique continuous skill: the tracking task: the performer controls a type of lever/handle (steering wheel) to follow the movements of a target ex) typing, writing
- measured using RMSE- root mean square error

Question 9

serial skills

Answer 9

c) serial skills:
- grouping of discrete skills performed together to create a more complex action
- with practice: can become smoother, and more rapid
ex) teaching how to throw a ball

Question 10

3 ways: how do we measure skill accuracy

Answer 10

constant error
absolute error
variable error

Question 11

constant error

Answer 11

1. Constant error: measure of average bias/directional error
   E= sum, i= the trail number, X= score, T= target distance, N= the number of trials
   -the error deviation of each throw, relative to the target
   -these error deviations are then averaged (divided by N, the number or trials)
   -interpretation- participant A tended to overthrow by 4ft, participant B tended to underthrow the target by 2.6ft.

Question 12

absolute error

Answer 12

2. Absolute error: an absolute measure of error
   E= sum, i= the trail number, X= score, T= target distance, N= number of trials
   -the sum of the absolute value of the error scores, averaged
   -interpretation-the direction of the error is disregarded, participant A was more/less off target than participant B

Question 13

variable error

Answer 13

3. Variable error: measure of consistency/inconsistency
   - OR each individual score in comparison to his/her average CE score
   - interpretation- even though participant A’s throw was closer to the target than was participant B’s average throw, A was more inconsistent in those throws than was B